I. Field of the Invention
The present invention related generally to the transportation industry and, more particularly to a method and apparatus for automatically recording and calculating safety-related compliance data for vehicle operators.
II. Description of the Related Art
Truck drivers across the United States presently operate under regulations promulgated by the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWY). The DOT and FHWY regulate many aspects of the transportation industry ranging from vehicle maintenance to substance abuse. One of the more important areas that the DOT and FHWY monitor is the occurrence of truck-related accidents and ways to reduce the number of such accidents.
Driver fatigue has been cited by the DOT and FHWY as being one of the primary causes of truck-related accidents. Consequently, the FHWY has adopted regulations that limit the number of hours that truck drivers may operate a vehicle over a given time period. For example, the DOT prohibits any driver from driving a commercial vehicle in excess of 10 hours and requires 8 hours of rest prior to driving again.
To ensure compliance with these safety regulations, the FHWY also requires drivers to keep detailed written records of the number of hours: (1) driving; (2) on-duty not driving; (3) resting, and; (4) off-duty. Drivers must provide daily updates into a logbook carried with the driver, detailing the number of hours spent in each of the four categories mentioned above. Other information may be required as well, such as the location of where the log book entry occurred, a vehicle identification number, the name of the nearest city at the time of a logbook entry, and so on. A driver must make entries into the log book each time the driver: (1) begins driving; (2) stops driving; (3) starts or ends an xe2x80x9con-duty not drivingxe2x80x9d period, and; (4) starting or ending a period of rest. Drivers are mandated by federal rules to chart their hours and activities every day by drawing lines on a grid in the log book and calculating the number of hours driving, on-duty not driving, resting, and off duty, over a twenty four hour period.
Federal officials periodically inspect driver logbooks at weigh stations and other locations to certify that they have been kept up-to-date by the driver, and that the driver is following the FHWA mandated regulations. If a driver is found to be out of compliance with the FHWA regulations, he or she will not be permitted to continue driving until the proper amount of off-duty or rest time has elapsed. This results in late deliveries to customers and general inefficiency for the driver""s employer. The driver is also penalized because the mandated xe2x80x9crestxe2x80x9d time affects the hours that he/she is able to work. If a number of violations occur over a given time period, substantial fines may be levied against the driver and/or employers.
The logbooks are a nuisance for drivers to fill out and keep current. Consequently, entries are often neglected until well after the time they were supposed to be entered. This may result in erroneous entries, since the driver must rely on memory as to the timing of recordable events. Inaccurate entries into the logbook may be discovered during an audit of the carrier""s records by FHWA officials months, or even years, later.
The logbooks are also susceptible to intentional misrepresentation by vehicle operators. Commercial vehicle operators are sometimes paid by the number of loads delivered, so there is a great incentive for operators to intentionally under-report the hours that they have driven, or to over-report the number of rest hours between driving periods.
What is needed is a way to ensure compliance with safety regulations without the problems associated with the present method for doing so.
It is an object of the present invention to record and calculate data relating to safety regulations for vehicle operators without the vehicle operator having to fill out complex logbooks and chart their activities.
It is a further object of the present invention to reduce the inconvenience to vehicle operators having to manually record and calculate work hours and activities in a logbook and to keep the logbook up to date.
It is yet another object of the present invention to reduce the number of deliberate and inadvertent safety violations by vehicle operators.
It is still a further object of the present invention to improve driver retention and recruitment by decreasing the chances of problematic roadside inspections and reducing the delays associated with such inspections.
It is still another object of the present invention to allow carriers to track operator hours worked and operator hours available to haul other loads. Carriers can monitor these hours, identify load delivery problems, and make adjustments for on-time delivery, such as swapping loads with other vehicle operators who have available hours.
It is another object of the present invention to keep shippers apprised of load delivery schedules. Carriers can more closely determine a vehicle operator""s ability to meet delivery schedules based on hours worked and the hours available for vehicle operation.
The present invention is a system and method for automatically recording and calculating safety-related compliance data, eliminating the need for vehicle operators to manually record and calculate this data.
In a first embodiment of the present invention, a vehicle operator initially enters an identification number into a mobile communication terminal located on a vehicle assigned to the vehicle operator. A status is also entered at the time the identification number is entered. In the exemplary embodiment, the status indicates whether the vehicle operator is driving, on-duty not driving, resting, or off-duty. When the status of the vehicle operator changes, the vehicle operator enters the new status information into the mobile communication terminal. A memory within the mobile communication terminal stores the identification information and status information for each vehicle operator identified to the mobile communication terminal. A processor connected to the memory calculates the safety-related compliance data. The compliance data can be displayed to a vehicle occupant or transmitted to a central station, where it can be further processed if necessary, forwarded, or stored, as the case may be.
In a second embodiment of the present invention, a vehicle operator enters an identification number into a mobile communication terminal located on a vehicle assigned to the vehicle operator. A status is also entered at the time the identification number is entered. In the exemplary embodiment, the status indicates whether the vehicle operator is driving, on-duty not driving, resting, or off-duty. When the status of the vehicle operator changes, the vehicle operator enters the new status information into the mobile communication terminal. The status and identification information is then transmitted to a central station where it is stored and processed to determine the safety-related compliance data. The compliance data may then be further processed, stored, or forwarded to a remote location. Furthermore, the processed information may be transmitted back to the vehicle as required.
In a third embodiment of the present invention, identification information and status information is entered into a mobile communication terminal located on a vehicle assigned to a vehicle operator. The identification and status information is stored in a memory within the mobile communication terminal. The identification and status information is then transmitted to a central station for processing at predetermined times, in response to a predetermined event, or upon request from the central station. A processor located at the central station calculates the safety-related compliance data, and compares the compliance data to a pre-defined set of safety criteria. The safety-related compliance data and the result of the comparison to the safety criteria can then be further processed, stored, or forwarded to a remote location. Furthermore, the safety-related compliance data and/or result of the comparison can be transmitted back to the vehicle, as required.